Comparing similar applications with redirection to a new web page

ABSTRACT

Provided are techniques for comparing similar applications. A feature is identified from a linkage table, wherein the linkage table comprises a link to first information and a link to second information describing the feature, wherein the first information is for a first application and the second information is for a second application. There is redirection from a first web page to a second web page in a Graphical User Interface (GUI) with a first window in the second web page displaying the first information and a second window in the second web page displaying the second information.

FIELD

Embodiments of the invention relate to comparing similar applicationswith redirection to a new web page. In particular, embodiments of theinvention relate to the use of online help to compare similarapplications.

BACKGROUND

Many customers want to understand specific feature comparison between anexisting, installed application and a newer application. An example ofthis is the customer who is considering moving from a first contentmanagement application to a newer content management application. Thecustomers would like to understand whether their daily operations can becompleted on the new application.

SUMMARY

Provided is a method for comparing similar applications. The methodcomprises: identifying, using a processor of a computer, a feature froma linkage table, wherein the linkage table comprises a link to firstinformation and a link to second information describing the feature,wherein the first information is for a first application and the secondinformation is for a second application; and redirecting from a firstweb page to a second web page in a Graphical User Interface (GUI) with afirst window in the second web page displaying the first information anda second window in the second web page displaying the secondinformation.

Provided is a computer program product for comparing similarapplications. The computer program product comprises a computer readablestorage medium having program code embodied therewith, the program codeexecutable by at least one processor to perform identifying a featurefrom a linkage table, wherein the linkage table comprises a link tofirst information and a link to second information describing thefeature, wherein the first information is for a first application andthe second information is for a second application; and redirecting froma first web page to a second web page in a Graphical User Interface(GUI) with a first window in the second web page displaying the firstinformation and a second window in the second web page displaying thesecond information.

Provided is a computer system for comparing similar applications. Thecomputer system comprises one or more processors, one or morecomputer-readable memories and one or more computer-readable, tangiblestorage devices; and program instructions, stored on at least one of theone or more computer-readable, tangible storage devices for execution byat least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the oneor more memories, to perform: identifying a feature from a linkagetable, wherein the linkage table comprises a link to first informationand a link to second information describing the feature, wherein thefirst information is for a first application and the second informationis for a second application; and redirecting from a first web page to asecond web page in a Graphical User Interface (GUI) with a first windowin the second web page displaying the first information and a secondwindow in the second web page displaying the second information.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numbers representcorresponding parts throughout:

FIG. 1 illustrates, in a block diagram, a computing environment inaccordance with certain embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates, in a block diagram, details of a Graphical UserInterface (GUI) in accordance with certain embodiments.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example linkage table in accordance with certainembodiments.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate, in a flow chart, operations for featurecomparison in accordance with certain embodiments.

FIG. 5 illustrates, in a flow chart, operations for feature comparisonin accordance with certain other embodiments.

FIG. 6 illustrates a computing node in accordance with certainembodiments.

FIG. 7 illustrates a cloud computing environment in accordance withcertain embodiments.

FIG. 8 illustrates abstraction model layers in accordance with certainembodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present inventionhave been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intendedto be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the describedembodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain theprinciples of the embodiments, the practical application or technicalimprovement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodimentsdisclosed herein.

Embodiments provide the ability to easily compare the product featuresof two applications in real day-to-day operations, without compromisingproductivity of the applications, in order to create a smooth transitionfrom the first application to the second application. With embodiments,the first application and the second application are relatedapplications with similar operations or processes. For example, thefirst application may be an older version, while the second applicationis a newer version, of a same application. In other embodiments, thefirst application and the second application are not versions of eachother (e.g., they may be provided by different vendors), but they haveat least some features that may be compared.

Features include tasks and operations performed by an application.

FIG. 1 illustrates, in a block diagram, a computing environment inaccordance with certain embodiments. A computing device 100 is coupledto a data store 150 and to a database 170. The computing device 100includes a feature comparison engine 110, which generates a GraphicalUser Interface (GUI) 120. The computing device 100 also includesconfiguration files 130 a . . . 130 n. With embodiments, there is oneconfiguration file 130 a . . . 130 n associated with one application. Inother embodiments, a group of applications may share a configurationfile 130 a . . . 130 n. Each configuration file 130 a . . . 130 n has afeature comparison parameter (e.g., feature comparison parameter 132 afor the configuration file 130 a) that indicates whether featurecomparison is to be performed for the associated application. Forexample, the feature comparison parameter may have a first setting(e.g., “1” or “true”) to indicate that feature comparison is to beperformed and may have a second setting (e.g., “0” or “false”) toindicate that the feature comparison is not to be performed. Theconfiguration file 130 may also include other configuration parameters.

The data store 150 stores feature documents 160 (e.g., with information(“feature information”) on how to use features) for differentapplications (computer programs). The database 170 stores one or morelinkage tables 180, and each of the linkage tables 180 links features tothe information in the feature documents 160. With embodiments, theremay be a linkage table 180 for each pair of applications that may becompared. The GUI 120 displays feature comparisons of the information ofa feature for the different applications.

In certain embodiments, in response to a help icon being selected (e.g.,being clicked on) in a first web page in a first window, the featurecomparison engine 110 opens up a second web page in a second window,within the GUI 120 to illustrate the features of applications side byside.

Merely to better illustrate embodiments of the invention, examples willbe provided herein that refer to comparing features, such as for helpinformation, for different applications. However, embodiments are notintended to be limited to help information.

Embodiments provide merged information about a feature for multipleapplications.

With embodiments, while viewing information about a first application(e.g., an older application), the user selects (e.g., clicks on) thefeature of interest and identifies a second application. Then, thefeature comparison engine 110 opens a new Uniform Resource Locator (URL)and displays a new web page with two windows in the GUI 120. The twowindows include a first window for first information for the firstapplication and a second window for second information for the secondapplication being compared.

With embodiments, the feature comparison engine 110 opens two windows,side by side, in the GUI 120, and displays comparisons of features(e.g., how to perform a certain task in each application).

With embodiments, the information about a feature is made readilyaccessible to the user. This will allow the user to compare how the dayto day features will behave (or be supported) in the second (e.g.,newer) application. The feature comparison engine 110 enables a user toidentify a specific feature and be directly taken to a new web page forthat feature that compares the feature in two different applications.

FIG. 2 illustrates, in a block diagram, details of a Graphical UserInterface (GUI) 220 in accordance with certain embodiments. The GUI 220is an example of GUI 120. In FIG. 2 , there is a display of firstapplication features 230 in a first web page in a first window, with ahelp icon 232 a . . . 232 n associated with each of the firstapplication features. Also, there is a display of second applicationfeatures 240 in a second web page of a second window with a help icon242 m . . . 242 x associated with each of the second applicationfeatures. Moreover, there is display of application features 250 from alinkage table in a third web page of a third window with a help icon 252p . . . 252 y associated with each application feature available(implemented) in the first application and/or the second application.With embodiments, the linkage table may be generated with features of afirst application, a second application, and new features not in eitherthe first or second application; then, the application features may beobtained from the linkage table for display in the third web page. Theuse of letters “a”, “n”, “m”, “p”, “x” and “y” is intended to indicatethat any number of features may be displayed.

A user may select any one of the help icons 232 a . . . 232 n whileviewing a web page of the first application, may select any one of thehelp icons 242 m . . . 242 x while viewing a web page of the secondapplication or may select any one of the help icons 252 p . . . 252 ywhile viewing a web page of features generated using the linkage table.

In response to a selection of a particular help icon associated with afeature, the feature comparison engine 120 displays combined informationin GUI 220 in a new window. GUI 220 displays information of the featureassociated with the selected help icon for a first application in webpage 222 in a first window and displays information of the same featurefor a second application in web page 224 in a second window. Althoughthe first application web page 222 and the second application web page224 are illustrated as vertically adjacent, they may be displayed ashorizontally adjacent instead.

With embodiments, the user navigates to a help icon (e.g., a helpbutton) that is specific to the feature of interest and selects thathelp icon. In response to the user selecting (e.g., clicking on) thehelp icon, the feature compare engine 110 re-routes (redirects) the userto a separate GUI 120 that displays the feature of the first applicationin a window next to the same feature for a second application in anotherwindow. In this manner, the feature comparison engine 110 brings thedescription of the functionality of the feature side by side.

With embodiments, the information about the feature is specific to thefunctionality that the users want to execute and may be directlystreamed from a knowledge center (a type of data store 150). Withembodiments, the knowledge center is a website that lists thedocumentation for applications that may be compared and that includesinstructions on configuration and/or use of certain features. Withembodiments, the user is shown a side by side comparison of both thedocumentation for the new (e.g., second) and old (e.g., first)application.

With embodiments, there is configuration of the system to use comparisonfunctionality. This may be done by setting the feature comparisonparameter in the configuration file or by setting a flag in eachapplication that may be compared so that multiple feature documents (forthe different applications that may be compared) are loaded.

Embodiments provide a linkage table for each pair of applications to becompared. FIG. 3 illustrates an example linkage table 300 in accordancewith certain embodiments. The linkage table 300 is an example of linkagetable 180. The linkage table 300 has links to information about features(e.g., in the feature documents 160) of the applications being compared.The linkage table 300 has a column for a feature identifier, a columnfor a first application feature link that describes the feature(identified by the feature identifier) in the first application, and acolumn for a second application feature link that describes the feature(identified by the feature identifier) in the second application. Thefeature identifier is associated with the feature of the selected helpicon.

With embodiments, the links may be URLs (hyperlinks), directoryaddresses, etc. Also, with embodiments, a link for a particularapplication may indicate that the feature is not available for thatapplication.

Also, the linkage table 300 includes features with feature identifiersHelpLink001, HelpLink002, and HelpLink004, which are available in boththe first application and the second application. The linkage table 300includes a feature with feature identifier HelpLink003, which isavailable in the first application, but not available in the secondapplication. The linkage table 300 includes a feature with featureidentifier HelpLink005, which is available in the second application,but not available in the second application. The linkage table 300includes a feature with feature identifier HelpLink006, which is notsupported in either the first application or the second application.

In certain embodiments, the linkage table 300 includes direct referencesto pages of documents with the information about a feature for each ofthe applications in the column for a first application feature link andthe column for a second application feature link.

In an example referring to the linkage table 180, the first applicationis presently installed at a user site. The user is consideringpurchasing the second application. With embodiments, once the linkagetable 180 is loaded and a feature comparison parameter in aconfiguration file associated with the first application is set to true,the user may perform feature comparison. In certain embodiments, eachapplication has a configuration file. For example, the user may want toevaluate how query results are printed. The user invokes a feature of“help for printing query results”. In this example, this feature maps tofeature identifier HelpLink002. Helplink002 is associated with Helptopic23 for the first application and Helptopic 13 for the secondapplication. The feature comparison engine 110 displays a GUI 120 withthe information for Helptopic 23 in a first window and information forHelptopic 13 in a second window. With embodiments, the windows may behorizontally or vertically adjacent.

In a second example, the user may want help for configuring customobjects. The user invokes the feature of “help for configuring customobjects”. In this second example, this feature maps to featureidentifier HelpLink003. Helplink003 is associated with Helptopic 37 forthe first application and is not associated with a help topic for thesecond application. The feature comparison engine 110 displays a GUI 120with information for Helptopic 37 in a first window and an indicationthat the feature is not available in the second application in a secondwindow. Thus, the user can also learn whether features are available inthe second application in this manner.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate, in a flow chart, operations for featurecomparison in accordance with certain embodiments. Control begins atblock 400 with the feature comparison engine 110 displaying featureswith associated help icons in a first web page. In certain embodiments,each of the help icons is a Help button. In block 402, the featurecomparison engine 110 receives selection of a help icon from the helpicons associated with a feature from the features for a firstapplication. In block 404, the feature comparison engine 110 determineswhether feature comparison is to be performed by evaluating a featurecomparison parameter in the configuration file. If so, processingcontinues to block 406, otherwise, processing continues to block 418.

In block 406, the feature comparison engine 110 determines a featureidentifier of the feature. In block 408, the feature comparison engine110 receives selection of a second application for feature comparison.In certain embodiments, the selection is received via GUI 120 (e.g., theGUI 120 may provide a list of applications from which the secondapplication is selected by a user). From block 408 (FIG. 4A), processingcontinues to block 410 (FIG. 4B).

In block 410, the feature comparison engine 110 identifies a linkagetable based on the first application and the second application. This isdone because there may be a linkage table for each pair of applicationsto be compared.

In block 412, the feature comparison engine 110 accesses a row in thelinkage table with the feature identifier to determine a link for firstinformation for the feature for the first application and a link forsecond information for the feature for the second application.

In block 414, the feature comparison engine 110 redirects, from thefirst web page displaying the features, to a GUI in a second (new) webpage that has a first window and a second window.

In block 416, the feature comparison engine 110 displays firstinformation in the first window and second information in the secondwindow. With embodiments, the first information may indicate that thefeature is not available in the first application and/or the secondinformation may indicate that the feature is not available in the secondapplication. Thus, with embodiments, the user is able to determine whichfeatures are available or not available in the first application and thesecond application.

Returning to FIG. 4A, in block 418, the feature comparison engine 110displays standard functionality (e.g., standard help functionality).

FIG. 5 illustrates, in a flow chart, operations for feature comparisonin accordance with certain other embodiments. Control begins at block500 with the feature comparison engine 110 identifying a feature from alinkage table, wherein the linkage table comprises a link to firstinformation and a link to second information describing the feature,wherein the first information is for a first application and the secondinformation is for a second application. In block 502, the featurecomparison engine 110 redirects from a first web page to a second webpage in a Graphical User Interface (GUI) with a first window in thesecond web page displaying the first information and a second window inthe second web page displaying the second information. With embodiments,the feature is displayed in a list of features in the first web page,such as illustrated with features 230, 240, and 250 of FIG. 2 .

Embodiments uniquely serve the purpose of identifying the capability(feature) differences of different versions of an application toaccelerate user of the capabilities. Embodiments provide dynamicinformation about a feature to ensure successful adoption of a newerversion of an application or a newer application. Embodiments leveragethe existing information on features of applications and deliverself-service or auto-service the adoption and implementation of theapplications.

Embodiments compare two similar applications with similar operations andgenerates a split view so that the user can view operations for afeature from a known application and operations for the same featurefrom an unfamiliar application. With embodiments, the information aboutthe features may come from various databases and data stores.

Embodiments provide existing information about a feature from bothapplications in a simple to read and easy to compare side by siderepresentation.

FIG. 6 illustrates a computing environment 610 in accordance withcertain embodiments. In certain embodiments, the computing environmentis a cloud computing environment. Referring to FIG. 6 , computer node612 is only one example of a suitable computing node and is not intendedto suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality ofembodiments of the invention described herein. Regardless, computer node612 is capable of being implemented and/or performing any of thefunctionality set forth hereinabove.

The computer node 612 may be a computer system, which is operationalwith numerous other general purpose or special purpose computing systemenvironments or configurations. Examples of well-known computingsystems, environments, and/or configurations that may be suitable foruse with computer node 612 include, but are not limited to, personalcomputer systems, server computer systems, thin clients, thick clients,handheld or laptop devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-basedsystems, set top boxes, programmable consumer electronics, network PCs,minicomputer systems, mainframe computer systems, and distributed cloudcomputing environments that include any of the above systems or devices,and the like.

Computer node 612 may be described in the general context of computersystem executable instructions, such as program modules, being executedby a computer system. Generally, program modules may include routines,programs, objects, components, logic, data structures, and so on thatperform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types.Computer node 612 may be practiced in distributed cloud computingenvironments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices thatare linked through a communications network. In a distributed cloudcomputing environment, program modules may be located in both local andremote computer system storage media including memory storage devices.

As shown in FIG. 6 , computer node 612 in cloud computing node 610 isshown in the form of a general-purpose computing device. The componentsof computer node 612 may include, but are not limited to, one or moreprocessors or processing units 616, a system memory 628, and a bus 618that couples various system components including system memory 628 toprocessor 616.

Bus 618 represents one or more of any of several types of busstructures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheralbus, an accelerated graphics port, and a processor or local bus usingany of a variety of bus architectures. By way of example, and notlimitation, such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture(ISA) bus, Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA)bus, Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, andPeripheral Component Interconnects (PCI) bus.

Computer node 612 typically includes a variety of computer systemreadable media. Such media may be any available media that is accessibleby computer node 612, and it includes both volatile and non-volatilemedia, removable and non-removable media.

System memory 628 can include computer system readable media in the formof volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM) 630 and/or cachememory 632. Computer node 612 may further include otherremovable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile computer system storagemedia. By way of example only, storage system 634 can be provided forreading from and writing to a non-removable, non-volatile magnetic media(not shown and typically called a “hard drive”). Although not shown, amagnetic disk drive for reading from and writing to a removable,non-volatile magnetic disk (e.g., a “floppy disk”), and an optical diskdrive for reading from or writing to a removable, non-volatile opticaldisk such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or other optical media can be provided.In such instances, each can be connected to bus 618 by one or more datamedia interfaces. As will be further depicted and described below,memory 628 may include at least one program product having a set (e.g.,at least one) of program modules that are configured to carry out thefunctions of embodiments of the invention.

Program/utility 640, having a set (at least one) of program modules 642,may be stored in memory 628 by way of example, and not limitation, aswell as an operating system, one or more application programs, otherprogram modules, and program data. Each of the operating system, one ormore application programs, other program modules, and program data orsome combination thereof, may include an implementation of a networkingenvironment. Program modules 642 generally carry out the functionsand/or methodologies of embodiments of the invention as describedherein.

Computer node 612 may also communicate with one or more external devices614 such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a display 624, etc.; one ormore devices that enable a user to interact with computer node 612;and/or any devices (e.g., network card, modem, etc.) that enablecomputer node 612 to communicate with one or more other computingdevices. Such communication can occur via Input/Output (I/O) interfaces622. Still yet, computer node 612 can communicate with one or morenetworks such as a local area network (LAN), a general wide area network(WAN), and/or a public network (e.g., the Internet) via network adapter620. As depicted, network adapter 620 communicates with the othercomponents of computer node 612 via bus 618. It should be understoodthat although not shown, other hardware and/or software components couldbe used in conjunction with computer node 612. Examples, include, butare not limited to: microcode, device drivers, redundant processingunits, external disk drive arrays, RAID systems, tape drives, and dataarchival storage systems, etc.

In certain embodiments, the computing device 100 has the architecture ofcomputer node 612. In certain embodiments, the computing device 100 ispart of a cloud environment. In certain alternative embodiments, thecomputing device 100 is not part of a cloud environment.

CLOUD EMBODIMENTS

It is understood in advance that although this disclosure includes adetailed description on cloud computing, implementation of the teachingsrecited herein are not limited to a cloud computing environment. Rather,embodiments of the present invention are capable of being implemented inconjunction with any other type of computing environment now known orlater developed.

Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling convenient,on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computingresources (e.g. networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing,memory, storage, applications, virtual machines, and services) that canbe rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort orinteraction with a provider of the service. This cloud model may includeat least five characteristics, at least three service models, and atleast four deployment models.

Characteristics are as follows:

On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally provisioncomputing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, asneeded automatically without requiring human interaction with theservice's provider.

Broad network access: capabilities are available over a network andaccessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneousthin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs).

Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are pooled to servemultiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physicaland virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according todemand. There is a sense of location independence in that the consumergenerally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of theprovided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher levelof abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter).

Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and elasticallyprovisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out andrapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilitiesavailable for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can bepurchased in any quantity at any time.

Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and optimizeresource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level ofabstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage,processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can bemonitored, controlled, and reported providing transparency for both theprovider and consumer of the utilized service.

Service Models are as follows:

Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto use the provider's applications running on a cloud infrastructure.The applications are accessible from various client devices through athin client interface such as a web browser (e.g., web-based e-mail).The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloudinfrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, storage,or even individual application capabilities, with the possible exceptionof limited user-specific application configuration settings.

Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquiredapplications created using programming languages and tools supported bythe provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure including networks, servers, operating systems, orstorage, but has control over the deployed applications and possiblyapplication hosting environment configurations.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided to theconsumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and otherfundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy andrun arbitrary software, which can include operating systems andapplications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage,deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select networkingcomponents (e.g., host firewalls).

Deployment Models are as follows:

Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely for anorganization. It may be managed by the organization or a third party andmay exist on-premises or off-premises.

Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by severalorganizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns(e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and complianceconsiderations). It may be managed by the organizations or a third partyand may exist on-premises or off-premises.

Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to the generalpublic or a large industry group and is owned by an organization sellingcloud services.

Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or moreclouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities butare bound together by standardized or proprietary technology thatenables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting forload-balancing between clouds).

A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a focus onstatelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability.At the heart of cloud computing is an infrastructure comprising anetwork of interconnected nodes.

Referring now to FIG. 7 , illustrative cloud computing environment 750is depicted. As shown, cloud computing environment 750 comprises one ormore cloud computing nodes 710 with which local computing devices usedby cloud consumers, such as, for example, personal digital assistant(PDA) or cellular telephone 754A, desktop computer 754B, laptop computer754C, and/or automobile computer system 754N may communicate. Nodes 710may communicate with one another. They may be grouped (not shown)physically or virtually, in one or more networks, such as Private,Community, Public, or Hybrid clouds as described hereinabove, or acombination thereof. This allows cloud computing environment 750 tooffer infrastructure, platforms and/or software as services for which acloud consumer does not need to maintain resources on a local computingdevice. It is understood that the types of computing devices 754A-Nshown in FIG. 7 are intended to be illustrative only and that computingnodes 710 and cloud computing environment 750 can communicate with anytype of computerized device over any type of network and/or networkaddressable connection (e.g., using a web browser).

Referring now to FIG. 8 , a set of functional abstraction layersprovided by cloud computing environment 750 (FIG. 7 ) is shown. Itshould be understood in advance that the components, layers, andfunctions shown in FIG. 8 are intended to be illustrative only andembodiments of the invention are not limited thereto. As depicted, thefollowing layers and corresponding functions are provided:

Hardware and software layer 860 includes hardware and softwarecomponents. Examples of hardware components include: mainframes 861;RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture based servers 862;servers 863; blade servers 864; storage devices 865; and networks andnetworking components 866. In some embodiments, software componentsinclude network application server software 867 and database software868.

Virtualization layer 870 provides an abstraction layer from which thefollowing examples of virtual entities may be provided: virtual servers871; virtual storage 872; virtual networks 873, including virtualprivate networks; virtual applications and operating systems 874; andvirtual clients 875.

In one example, management layer 880 may provide the functions describedbelow. Resource provisioning 881 provides dynamic procurement ofcomputing resources and other resources that are utilized to performtasks within the cloud computing environment. Metering and Pricing 882provide cost tracking as resources are utilized within the cloudcomputing environment, and billing or invoicing for consumption of theseresources. In one example, these resources may comprise applicationsoftware licenses. Security provides identity verification for cloudconsumers and tasks, as well as protection for data and other resources.User portal 883 provides access to the cloud computing environment forconsumers and system administrators. Service level management 884provides cloud computing resource allocation and management such thatrequired service levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA) planningand fulfillment 885 provide pre-arrangement for, and procurement of,cloud computing resources for which a future requirement is anticipatedin accordance with an SLA.

Workloads layer 890 provides examples of functionality for which thecloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of workloads andfunctions which may be provided from this layer include: mapping andnavigation 891; software development and lifecycle management 892;virtual classroom education delivery 893; data analytics processing 894;transaction processing 895; and feature comparison 896.

Thus, in certain embodiments, software or a program, implementingfeature comparison in accordance with embodiments described herein, isprovided as a service in a cloud environment.

Additional Embodiment Details

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer program product, the computer programproduct comprising a computer readable storage medium having programcode embodied therewith, the program code executable by at least oneprocessor to perform operations for: generating a linkage table with afirst feature in a first application of a plurality of applications andin a second application of the plurality of applications, a secondfeature in one of the first application and the second application, anda third feature not in the first application and not in the secondapplication, wherein the linkage table includes a first link to firstinformation and a second link to second information for each of thefirst feature, the second feature, and the third feature; receiving aselection of the first application; receiving a selection of a featurefrom one of the first feature, the second feature, and the third featuredisplayed in a first web page; and in response to a parameter in a fileindicating that the first application is to be compared, receiving aselection of the second application; identifying the linkage table basedon the selection of the first application and the selection of thesecond application, wherein each pair of applications in the pluralityof applications is associated with a different linkage table;identifying the selected feature in the linkage table; and redirectingfrom the first web page to a second web page in a Graphical UserInterface (GUI) with a first window in the second web page displayingthe first information for the selected feature and a second window inthe second web page displaying the second information for the selectedfeature, wherein, when the selected feature is in the first application,the first information describes the selected feature for the firstapplication, and, when the selected feature is in the secondapplication, the second information describes the selected feature forthe second application.
 2. The computer program product of claim 1,wherein a help icon is associated with the selected feature.
 3. Thecomputer program product of claim 1, wherein the first window isdisplayed adjacent to the second window to enable comparison of thefirst information and the second information.
 4. The computer programproduct of claim 1, wherein, when the selected feature is not in thefirst application, the first information indicates that the selectedfeature is not in the first application, and when the selected featureis not in the second application, the second information indicates thatthe selected feature is not in the second application.
 5. The computerprogram product of claim 1, wherein a Software as a Service (SaaS) isconfigured to perform the operations of the computer program product. 6.A computer system, comprising: one or more processors, one or morecomputer-readable memories and one or more computer-readable, tangiblestorage devices; and program instructions, stored on at least one of theone or more computer-readable, tangible storage devices for execution byat least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the oneor more computer-readable memories, to perform operations for:generating a linkage table with a first feature in a first applicationof a plurality of applications and in a second application of theplurality of applications, a second feature in one of the firstapplication and the second application, and a third feature not in thefirst application and not in the second application, wherein the linkagetable includes a first link to first information and a second link tosecond information for each of the first feature, the second feature,and the third feature; receiving a selection of the first application;receiving a selection of a feature from one of the first feature, thesecond feature, and the third feature displayed in a first web page; andin response to a parameter in a file indicating that the firstapplication is to be compared, receiving a selection of the secondapplication; identifying the linkage table based on the selection of thefirst application and the selection of the second application, whereineach pair of applications in the plurality of applications is associatedwith a different linkage table; identifying the selected feature in thelinkage table; and redirecting from the first web page to a second webpage in a Graphical User Interface (GUI) with a first window in thesecond web page displaying the first information for the selectedfeature and a second window in the second web page displaying the secondinformation for the selected feature, wherein, when the selected featureis in the first application, the first information describes theselected feature for the first application, and, when the selectedfeature is in the second application, the second information describesthe selected feature for the second application.
 7. The computer systemof claim 6, wherein a help icon is associated with the selected feature.8. The computer system of claim 6, wherein the first window is displayedadjacent to the second window to enable comparison of the firstinformation and the second information.
 9. The computer system of claim6, wherein, when the selected feature is not in the first application,the first information indicates that the selected feature is not in thefirst application, and when the selected feature is not in the secondapplication, the second information indicates that the selected featureis not in the second application.
 10. The computer system of claim 6,wherein a Software as a Service (SaaS) is configured to perform theoperations of the computer system.
 11. The computer program product ofclaim 1, wherein the linkage table is stored in a database, wherein thefirst link provides access to the first information in a first featuredocument, and wherein the second link provides access to the secondinformation in a second feature document.
 12. The computer system ofclaim 6, wherein the linkage table is stored in a database, wherein thefirst link provides access to the first information in a first featuredocument, and wherein the second link provides access to the secondinformation in a second feature document.